Mail-bag catcher and deliverer.



No. 645,232. Patented Mar. 13 F. N. &..A. W. MCDAVITT.

MAIL BAG CATCHER AND DELIYERER.

(Application filed Oct. 14, 1899.) v

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

8 M41031 few vPatented Mar. I3, I900.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

F. N. 8:. A. W. MCDAVITT.

MAIL BAG CAICHER AND DELIVEREB.

(Apphcatxon filed Oct 14 1899) (No Model.)

witnesses NITED STATES PATENT CF ICE.

FRED N. MCDAVI'IT AND ARTHUR W. MCDAVITT, OF LA PLATA, MISS OURI.

MAiL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERE'R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Ar -645,232, dated March 13, 1900.

Application filed October 14,1399. smart. 732,642. on model.)

To all whomit 72mg concern Be it known that we, FRED -N. McD AVITT and ARTHUR W. McDAvITT, citizens of the United States, residing at La Plata, in the county of Macon and State of Missouri, have bags to andfrom the car and catching the bags thus delivered, the object being to provide an outfit of this class of simple, strong,

durable, and efficient construction.

' In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a-perspectivo view illusstrating that part of the invention which-is erected at the side of the track with a mailsame.

bag suspended ready to be caught on the car and the parts in position to catch a bag from the car. Fig. 2 is a top plan View, on an enlarged scale, of the receiving-hook and its guide and support, the post being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail perspective View of the outer end of the hook.

Fig. 9 is a central vertical sectional view of the Fig. 10 is a detail perspective view of the catch for holding the bag-holding arms extended from the car-door.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they appearin the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 10 indicates one rail of a-railroad, and 11 12 ties upon which the rail rests, the latter extend ingso'me distance laterally beyondthe former and supporting a platform 13, upon which is mounted a post 14:, either solid or hollow and of any suitable material, but preferably a metal tube, as shown, rigidly held in upright position by means of braces-f5. Upon the post a short distance above the ties is secured a platform 16, stiffened by braces and provided with a step-ladder 17 with hand-rail1S.'

Just above the platform 16 an arm '19 is pivbtally secured to the pole and. adapted to swing outward toward the rail, as in Fig. 1. Near the top of the poleis pivoted. a-se'cond arm 20, having a weighted projecting end 21 beyond the pivo't,1which end is connected to the arm 19 on the opposite side'of the post,

as at 22, whereby when one arm is moved the other must be moved with it and whereby tion, as in Fig. 1. v

5 both arms are maintained in horizontal posi-" At the outer ends'of each arm 19 and 2C are eyes 23 24-, in which are attached hooks 25 and 26, (shown in detail in Figs. Sand 9,) each composed of a flat piece of metal forming a body 27, having an opening28 toreceive a.

ring or link 29 for attaching'it to the eyes of the arms and a longitudinal central notch 30 and a spring 31, attached to the body by a nut 32, coiled at 33 and normally resting in the notch-30. To-suspend a mail-bag in the position shown in Fig. 1 ready to be caught by the catcher on thecar, the rings 34 of t-he'bag are engaged in the positions illustrated in Fig. 1 and in dotted lines in Figs. Sand 9,

where they are yieldingly held by the springs 31, subject to be drawn oif the hook by the catcher of the car. When the arms are relieved of the weight of the bag, theweighted 'end 21 of arm 20 will fall, raising arm 20 .to a substantially-vertical positionand permitting arm 19 to fall to .a similar position alongside of the post:

I Upon ,the pole a little above the center of 1 the space between arms 19 and 20 is secured a metallic semicircular bar 35, secured by a pin 36' and stifiened by braces 37, the pin passing through a ring on the bar which encircles the post and through the post, as best shown in Fig. 5. Abovethe rjng 35 on the post is a clamp in which is pivoted an arm 38,

which projects radially beyond the edge ofthe semicircular bar and at its outer end is bent in a horizontal plane into hook form, as

at 39, as most clearly shown in Figs.'2 and 3.

On the hook is formed a lug 40, which re- .ceives a pin .41, upon which is coiled the central part of a spring 42, one end 43 of which ICO bears against the outside of the hook, while the other end 44 reaches diagonally across the throat of the hook and bears against the in side thereof, the normal tendencyof the spring being to remain yieldingly in this position.

In a lpg 45 in the inner edge of the bar 35 is a horizontal rod or arm 46, normally forced toward the point of the hook by a spring 47, whichtends to hold it under the horizontal arm of an elbow-lever or trigger 48, pivotally secured to the'outer surface of bar 35, the Vertical arm of the trigger bearing normally against the hook-arm 38 and holding itin position against an upwardly-projectin g stop or lug 49 on the end of bar 35,as shown in Figs.

2 and4.

50 50 indicate a pair of eyes or staples sei Y cured on the face of adoor or jamb 51 of the car, in which is slidably and rotatably mounted a vertical bar 52, the ends of which are bent at right angles, as at 53 54, to form arms to support a bag in position to be caught-on the stationary catcher.

55 indicates an. intermediate eye also secured to the door, in which the bar 52 is also mounted, and 56 a spring coiled around the bar and having its lower andupper bearings, respectively, against the eye 55 and a collar 57, secured to the bar, the normal tendency being to raise the bar 52 and arms 53 and 54. A second spring 58, coiled around bar 52,'has one end secured to the car at 59 and the other end to an arm 60 on bar 52, the normal tendency being to hold the arms 53 and 54 inv the car and parallel with the track. In this position, as illustrated in Fig.7, the arm gles to the car, as shown in Fig. 6, the weight 53 .rests above the horizontal arm 61 of 'a keeper 62, (shown detached in'Fig. 10 and in combination in Fig. 7 said keeper being of the bag causing arm 53 to fall between the vertical arm 63 and be locked in its outer po-' sition as long as the weight of the bag is upon it. When the bag is caught, the arm 53, relieved of its weight, will be raised above arm 61 of keeper 62 by spring 56,- thus leaving it free to be turned in, which will he done by spring 58, the arm acting as a stop to-prevent the bar 52 from being rotated far-enough to carry arms 53 and 54 beyond their inner position parallel with the track;

To suspenf a maiI-bagon the arms 19 and 20, the carrier-mounts the platfornrlfi and draws down arm 20, which by reason of the chain connection raises arm 19, when the-ha can be hooked up, as before described. Ai-hook' or camber outfit similar to thatlshown inFig. 1 may be mounted in the car, and when the car, with a bag suspended on arms 53 and 54 i position parallel with or away from the track,

where it is supported by bar 35-. The impetus of the bag throws it farther into the throat of hook 39, pressing back end 44 of spring 42, which holds it against dropping out ofthe hook. l

From the foregoing it'will be seen that we have provided simple, strong, cheap, durable, and efficient means for performing all of the functions of a mail-bag catcher and deliver-er, and while we have specifically described means for carrying out our invention it will be readily understood many slight changes might be made in such constructions without departing from the limit and scope of the invention.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to. secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a-

suspending-hook consisting ofa flat body having a longitudinal notch and provided with means forconnecting it to the crane-arms, in combination with a spring secured to the fiatbody and normally projecting through the notch, substantially as described.

2. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a

platform secured on the projecting ends of the ties and a metal tubular post mounted thereon and braced thereto, in combination with an upper platform secured and braced to the post, a step-ladder connecting the two platforms, and a projecting pole of the ladder extending above the upper platform andiforming a hand-rail, substantially as described.

3. Ina mail-bag catcherand deliver-er, the

combination with a post of a semicircular,

bar secured thereto in a horizontal position and having a stop at each end,an arm pivotally mounted on the post and supported by combination with apost of asemicircular bar secured thereto in a horizlontal position, an arm pivotally mounted on the post and supported bysaid bar, a hook at the end of the against-turningo-n the post, and a spring-actuated arm pivoted to the semicircular bar and nermallyholding the trigger in position,said bar being in the path" of a bag entering the throat ofthehook, substantially as-descrioed.

--har, a trigger to engage the bar to hold it 5.- In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, the combination with a post of an arm pivoted thereon, a hook at the outer end thereof, an

elbow-lever trigger having its vertical arm adapted to hold'the bar against turning and a bar holding the trigger in position and located in the path of a mail-bag entering the throat of the hook, substantially as described.

6. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, a hook for catching the bags provided with a lug on its outer side a pin in said lug and a spring-bar havingits central portion coiled about the pin, the outer end of the spring-bar beating against the outside of the outer arm of the hook and the inner end against the inner side of the inner arm of the hook, substantially as described.

7. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a vertically slidable and rotatable bar mounted in the car-door and having its upper and lower endsbent at right angles forming arms upon which to suspend a mail-bag of a keeper or latch adapted to lock the arms extended when weighted with mail-.

bag,-and a spring adapted to raisethe arms above the keeper when released of the weight of the bags, substantially as described.

8. In a mail-bag catcher and deliverer, the combination of a vertically slidable and rotatable bar mounted in the ca'1"-ddo'r' and having its upper and lower ends bent at right angles forming arms upon which to suspend a mail-bag, of a keeper and latch adaptedto lock the arms extended when weighted with 'jecting from the vertical bar at right angles to the suspending-arms, a collar on the vertical arm, a latch or keeper secured to the door and having a horizontal and vertical arm,- a spring coiled about't-he vertical bar above a staple and below the 'collar, and a secondspring coiled about the vertical bar having one end secured to the car and the other to the stop-arm, substantially as described.

FRED N. MGDAVITT.

y ARTHUR W. MCDAVITT.

Witnesses:

WM. J. 'BIGGS, N. BRoYLEs. 

